


one step, two - how do you do

by ManaGummi



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: 5+1 Things, Dancing, Disney References, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Sappy, cute dancing sap, riku just dance with him already, various disney characters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:34:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24186724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManaGummi/pseuds/ManaGummi
Summary: “Are we gonna dance?” Stitch nods a quick affirmative, and Sora’s curiosity rises as he wonders what kind of dance the two will perform.Then Stitch points at Sora.Lilo gasps. “Yeaaah!” she sings. “Let’s teach Sora to dance!”Oh. Oh no.---------5 times Riku didn't dance with Sora, and 1 time he did.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 83
Kudos: 168





	1. Hawai'i

**Author's Note:**

> this was originally going to be a schmoopy waltzing fic with no plot whatsoever, but @keitichandesu on twitter gave me the idea to make a 5+1 fic out of it, so here we gooooo!
> 
> thanks for the idea and inspiration, kei! you rock!

It turns out that Riku is surprisingly good with kids.

Or, at the very least, he’s really good with Lilo. They’re spending the day in Hawaii for Lilo’s party, because Sora and Riku had promised months ago that they’d be back for her seventh birthday and refused to disappoint. It’s a small, quiet affair with the group they’d met last time (Terra told them to send his regards to Dr. Jukiba) at the Pelekai’s house, and there’s a messy if earnest cake from Pleakley along with a loving pile of presents that Sora and Riku had gladly added to.

(They brought a handmade doll Riku had found in Arendelle. The only thing more precious than Lilo’s face when she opened it was the soft - if watery - look on Riku’s when she proudly set the new doll next to Scrump.)

Riku’s currently fixing his full attention on Lilo’s collection of Elvis albums, holding each CD and vinyl record she shows him with tender care and a small, genuine grin. Sora watches them both from the yard, impossibly fond of the way Riku carefully places each record on Lilo’s portable player that she’s dragged onto the porch. They’re too far away for Sora to pick up on what they’re saying, but he can tell from Riku’s face that he’s asking Lilo careful, attentive questions about her favorite musician. Each one makes Lilo’s face brighten more and more, and Sora feels his heart lighten at their friendship.

A sudden tug on his sleeve distracts him, and he looks to his side to see Stitch has plopped down beside him under one of the palm trees to watch the party unfold. His large, blue ears are perked up and alert, and the ukulele he’s been carrying around all day is set on the ground beside him. “Hey Stitch,” Sora greets him with a smile. Stitch gives a little grunt in response, nose twitching before he turns to look at Sora. One ear tilts to the side as he squints up at Sora’s face, and it’s a strangely intense, calculating look for Sora to get from Stitch. “Uh, is something up?”

Stitch chitters under his breath before tilting forward and pushing himself off the ground with all four hands. “Sora dance?” he asks, gaze still focused on Sora.

“Uh,” Sora replies, caught off guard by the question. “I mean, yeah? Not much and not well, but-”

The little alien cuts him by holding up a clawed finger and nodding decisively. “Sora dance,” he affirms. Stitch grabs his ukulele off the ground and totters a few steps towards the porch. “Lilo!” he yells as loud as his gravelly voice can manage. Off in the distance, Lilo pauses in her explanation of another album that Riku is holding and looks over quizzically. “What is it, Stitch?” she hollers back. Stitch just waves his ukulele at her, then puts his free hand on his waist and snaps his hip out to the side.

Even from where Sora is sitting, he easily sees the way Lilo’s face lights up in a huge grin, and despite his confusion at Stitch’s action he can’t stop from laughing when she carefully plucks the album from Riku’s grasp, sets it with the others, and then grabs Riku’s hand before taking off down the porch steps. Riku’s confused but sincere laugh floats through the air like music, and Sora takes a moment to appreciate how far they’ve both come since their islands fell so many years ago. Riku laughs easier, smiles wider, loves intensely, and Sora couldn’t be more proud of him.

Within moments Lilo skids to a halt in front of Stitch, Riku’s hand still firmly in her grasp as he stops beside her. She’s bouncing where she stands and reaches out to grab Stitch’s paw with her free hand. “Are we gonna dance?” Stitch nods a quick affirmative, and Sora’s curiosity rises as he wonders what kind of dance the two will perform.

Then Stitch points at Sora.

Lilo gasps. “Yeaaah!” she sings. “Let’s teach Sora to dance!”

Oh. Oh no.

“Wha- hey wait! I said I’m not that good at dancing! Hold on!” Sora protests and waves his hands as Stitch toddles back towards him, Lilo right behind him with Riku bringing up the rear. Stitch shoves at Sora’s shoulder, grunting with each push to try and coax Sora up on his feet. “Stitch, hey stop! I’m going, I’m going!” Sora grumbles. He plants his hands on the ground and gathers his feet under him to stand, shooting Riku a half-hearted glare when he hears his boyfriend laugh at his expense.

Lilo finally releases Riku’s hand to run behind Sora and push at his knees to jostle him into position a few feet away from the tree he was resting under and motions for him to take off his sandals. She then scurries to Sora’s left while Stitch stands beside Riku in front of them. Riku, the jerk, is still laughing, so Sora glares at him again, cheeks dusted red from the attention this unexpected lesson is directing toward him. “You should absolutely be doing this with me,” he pouts.

Riku’s chuckle is louder this time. “Oh no, I believe they requested  _ you _ for this one, Sora.” His expression is fond, but the smirk on his face as Sora narrows his eyes at him lessens the impact of the affection. Sora silently vows to get payback later.

“Yeah!” Lilo pipes up from Sora’s side. “This is a dance for people who are from islands anyway, so Sora’s perfect!” This time Sora gets to be the one smirking as Riku’s mouth twists at the unintended slight. He never could get Lilo to believe he was born on an island too.

A single ukulele chord rings through the air as Stitch clears his throat, bringing Sora’s attention back to the activity at hand. Stitch starts a slow yet bright melody, nodding at Lilo as she hums along and plants her feet in the sand. “Okay, Sora!” she chirps. “You gotta stand like this to start out.”

Sora glances at Riku, who once again looks fond and calm and much less smug, and the little smile he gives Sora is enough to shake off his lingering doubt and fear of embarrassing himself. With a shrug and a smile of his own, Sora follows Lilo’s instructions and focuses all his attention on his tiny instructor.

It turns out that Lilo and Stitch are patient teachers. Stitch keeps the music slow enough that Sora can practice each motion Lilo teaches him without having to worry about tripping over his own feet, and Lilo shows him each move as many times as he needs with a smile and loud shouts of encouragement. By the time Lilo deems Sora ready for the whole dance, the rest of the party has turned their attention to them, Nani and David watching with little smiles while Jumba rolls his eyes at Pleakley’s attempts to sway to the beat.

Riku is watching too, eyes trained on Sora with such unabashed love and emotion that Sora has to look away to tamp down the blush on his face. It’s been long enough that Riku shouldn’t be able to send Sora into a tizzy with one look, but Sora’s heart flutters as he thinks of that small smile on Riku’s face. He’s so caught up in his own whirling, lovey thoughts that he almost misses Lilo’s cue for Stitch to start the song again. Sora jolts and quickly rights himself to his starting position.

Then, on the first note, Sora and Lilo move.

The dance Lilo taught him is all fluid motion and natural movements. Sora finds himself easily falling into the flow of the rhythm within moments, the past hour of Lilo’s instruction coming together in a dance that feels intuitive and natural, and Sora feels in tune with the music, his own body, and even the peaceful nature of their surroundings all at once. The blazing sun feels pleasantly warm on his skin, the shift of sand between his toes comforting and grounding. He claps his hands once with Lilo before extending his arm in front of him and sweeping it to the side, and when Lilo flows into gentle steps smoothly alternating between heel and toe, Sora is right there with her. Stitch’s music bolsters the dance, and Sora can hear Lilo humming along beside him as she moves.

Sora feels calm in this moment, safe and warm in the knowledge that he and Riku can finally do what they’re doing now: traveling worlds, meeting new friends, having new experiences together. Neither of them will be separated again, bound together by fate and trust and love. When the last note reverberates through the air and Sora ends on the pose Lilo taught him, he feels light brightly radiating in his chest, even as he releases a whoosh of air he didn’t realize he was holding.

The party bursts into whistles and applause, and Lilo whoops as she and Stitch both throw their fists in the air! “We did it!” she cheers, running over and grabbing Sora’s hand as she jumps up and down. Laughter bubbles out of Sora at her excitement, and he finds himself bouncing along with her. He scoops Lilo into a hug, laughing again when she squeals in delight, before releasing her so she can run off to Nani’s waiting arms.

“Pretty good performance for someone who’s not good at dancing,” an amused voice says from behind him.

When Sora turns around, Riku stands waiting with his own arms open. Sora goes to him willingly, nestling against his chest as they wrap themselves around the other. “Yeah, well,” Sora starts. “I had someone pretty special to perform for.” He nuzzles his nose into Riku’s shirt, delighting in the way he can feel Riku’s answering chuckle vibrate in his chest. Sora hears the party resume around him, all the chatter creating a peaceful blanket of noise. They should join the others again soon, but for now Sora is content to stay where they are, the two of them together.

Just as they’ll always be.


	2. San Fransokyo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Break-dancing on the streets, as you do.

Sora telling Stitch that he couldn’t dance was a  _ slight  _ mistruth.

Sora can, in fact, dance rather well, and he’d proven it before in Corona. Dancing in the town square that day had freeing, lighthearted, and completely and  _ utterly _ unplanned. Because that’s the thing with Sora: spontaneity is his nature. He can do just about anything he wants to do as long as it happens at a moment’s notice, because the second  _ plans _ and  _ strategies  _ come into play he starts to overthink every tiny action he makes. It made learning to fight alongside Donald and Goofy a frustrating experience, because where Sora seizes opportunities as they come, Donald and Goofy like to think ahead, foresee openings in their opponent’s fighting style, and coordinate their attacks appropriately.

Sora and Donald had  _ plenty _ of arguments over these differences during their first journey together.

But Sora is a “spur of the moment” kind of guy to the end, in battle and in life, so learning pre-planned dances tended to get him far too into his head, anxious and stuttery in every way. Really, he’s amazed his dance with Lilo had gone as well as it had, all things considered. Now though, as his vision blurs with the force of his spin on a San Fransokyo street, Sora can’t say he’s really surprised with how his performance is going. (Which, judging by the cheers around him, it’s going pretty dang well.)

Sore lets out a whoop of joy as he slams his hands on the ground and swings his body around feet first, relishing the way the air drags at his legs as they cut through it. Somewhere near him - he can’t really tell where with how fast he’s moving - he hears Fred shouting something encouraging, incomprehensible as it is in his excitement. The beat of the music blaring from someone’s phone is accented by the rhythmic clapping of the gathered group, but when Sora twists into a neat spinning one-handed stand the applause turns erratic and excited. The energy in the air is deliciously infectious, and Sora can’t help but laugh when he fluidly backflips out of his handstand.

Sora lands smoothly, knees braced upon impact with the ground, and pumps his fist in the air with a gleeful shout. The little crowd that had gathered around the makeshift dance stage cheered with him before morphing into shouts of welcome as a girl from the crowd stepped out to take a turn at dancing. Their attention now diverted, Sora steps back out of the way and settles his hands on his hips, chest heaving from the rush of exertion the dance had caused. He watches the new girl start up her set for a moment as his heart rate settles, then turns to scan the crowd for Riku.

Riku finds him first, and Sora feels a familiar and sturdy arm wrap around his shoulders before tugging him into Riku’s side. “Now I see what Donald and Goofy meant about the barrel thing,” Riku murmurs in Sora’s ear before pressing a kiss into his - admittedly sweaty - hair.

Sora nuzzles up into the kiss while he presses himself into Riku’s side. “Didn’t hear them complaining about it when people gave me munny for it,” he replies with a smirk. Riku’s answering huff of laughter ruffles Sora’s hair, tickling his forehead, and Sora will never tire of being the one to make Riku laugh. He cranes his head to the side and plants a sloppy kiss on Riku’s jaw, delighting in Riku’s chuckling groan of mock disgust.

“Okay, maybe I’m interrupting something here.” Sora startles a bit at the voice and glances out to find Hiro sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, an awkward little grin tilting on his face. It hits Sora that he has, once again, gotten way too caught up in his own little world while cuddling with Riku. It’s certainly not the first time it’s happened and likely won’t be the last, but Sora can’t bring himself to feel guilty about it when Riku is so warm and strong and  _ his _ .

Still, Sora spares Hiro the awkwardness and steps out of Riku’s hold, but not before lacing his fingers with his boyfriend’s. “Nah, you’re good!” Sora chirps at Hiro. Riku is quietly radiating embarrassment beside him, so Sora swings their hands and gives Riku’s a comforting little squeeze. Riku’s response is immediate, a little squeeze in return, and Sora’s heart swells just a bit at the action. “Is something up, Hiro?” Sora asks before he gets too absorbed in Riku again.

Hiro’s crooked smile loses some of its shyness. “Not really. I just, uh, didn’t know you could dance like that, Sora,” he replies with a half shrug. “It was pretty cool. Everyone else thought so too.” Hiro gestures behind him to the rest of Big Hero 6, currently dressed down in normal clothes, who are all giving Sora enthusiastic waves or - in Go Go’s case- a simple thumbs up. “If you and Riku have time we were wondering if you wanted to come with us to this great ramen place downtown?” Hiro jerks his thumb behind him in what Sora can only assume is the direction of downtown. All the spinning combined with his naturally poor sense of direction has him slightly lost.

Then, as if on cue, Sora’s stomach growls. Sora feels his face flush slightly. “Guess that answers that, huh?” he mumbles, scratching his cheek with one finger. Beside him, Riku laughs softly, and Sora feels another quick squeeze on his hand, still tangled with Riku’s.

“Yeah, we’ve got time,” Riku confirms. He glances at their group of friends, most of whom are now watching the street dancers again while they wait. “You guys go on ahead, we’ll catch up in a minute.”

“Okay,” Hiro nods as he backs up a few steps to rejoin the group. “I’ll text you guys the address just in case, but we’ll see you there!” He gives Sora and Riku a quick wave and turns to jog back to his friends.

Sora hums and leans back against Riku’s side, feeling warm all over when Riku lets go of his hand only to wrap an arm around Sora’s shoulder to tug him closer. “So,” Sora starts. “Any reason you told them all to go ahead first?”

Riku gives an answering hum. He leans his cheek against Sora’s head and, very slightly so that only Sora can tell, nuzzles into the soft tufts of hair there. “Not really.” Riku’s breath ghosts against Sora’s scalp, tickling him just a bit. “Just wanted a quick moment alone, I guess.”

Sora feels his face grow hot again, but it’s a comfortable, warm heat that spreads across his body like a blanket, secure and cozy. He tilts his head up slowly so Riku has time to move and meet his gaze. “Think I can work with that,” he replies. When he cranes up with an expectant look on his face Riku meets him halfway, brushing their lips together in a soft kiss.

Yeah, Sora can definitely work with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the first time sora did the barrel thing i scream and hollered with glee
> 
> feel free to come yell with me on twitter @managummi


	3. The Kingdom of Corona

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Harvest Festival is always a good date idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm southern we must dance in a barn at least once

The sprawling fields of wheat and corn that lay just outside the capital of Corona are neat and tidy, orderly even with the abundance of ripe crops that spring forth from the ground. Sora had been amazed at the sheer volume of farmland they’d passed earlier, and at one point they’d gone by an orchard with trees so close and full with plump fruit that Sora almost fell out of the carriage trying to grab an apple.

(Riku had grabbed him by the collar and deftly yanked Sora back inside, laughing as he tucked Sora against his chest and ruffled his hair. Sora couldn’t even bring himself to put up a fuss when Riku was so comfortable to lean against.)

Rapunzel and Eugene, along with someone new named Cass, were riding in another, much fancier carriage in front of the one carrying Sora and Riku. The ride was peaceful and incredibly scenic, which didn’t surprise Sora. He’d been dying to show Riku the lush fields and forests of Corona since he first visited, and getting to see brand new beautiful sights with Riku at his side was just an added bonus. Truthfully, Sora didn’t even know where they were going. Rapunzel had just crushed him in a hug and all but demanded that Sora and Riku -who she seemed giddy to finally meet- come with her, Eugene, and Cass out to the countryside for… something.

“Wonder where we’re going,” Sora mused, one elbow propped in the open carriage window as he debated leaning out to snatch one of the pretty yellow flowers they were rolling past. He could put it in Riku’s hair and watch him turn that adorable dusty pink that always painted his cheeks when Sora did something for him. Sora saw that blush often lately, but he still couldn’t pass up a chance to make Riku swoon. The flowers were close enough, really. With a little reach and a fine-tuned aero spell, Sora could easily-

“Soraaaaa!”

Sora perks up at the sound of Rapunzel’s voice up ahead and promptly hoists his torso out of the window to look for her. Riku is quick to latch a steadying hand onto the hem of Sora’s jacket, and Sora huffs a laugh at how well they work together. A quick glance ahead shows Rapunzel is also leaning out of her window, waving enthusiastically back at Sora. He copies the action with a grin. “What’s up?” he calls to her.

Rapunzel flashes a huge toothy smile at Sora and sweeps a pointed finger out toward one of the fields near them. “We’re almost there! Look!” Sora follows her gesture and quickly sees a path that snakes off towards a farm house and a small dappling of barns, but unlike all the other farms they’ve passed this one is boasting banners, flags, a hearty gathering of people, and the very enticing smell of freshly cooked food. Sora can hear lively music filtering through the trees, and realization hits him with a joyful shock.

“Oh, cooooool!” Sora croons. He ducks his head back into the carriage for a moment. “Riku, it’s a party! It looks awesome!” He pops his head back out and leans on his arms to push himself farther out the window, half conscious of the way Riku laughs behind him and tightens his grip on Sora’s jacket. More and more details stand out the closer their carriage gets to the party, and Sora gasps in delight as he sees little shop stalls and food carts and games dotting the area.

A light tug on his jacket catches his attention and he half glances back at Riku. “Get back in here,” Riku chides lightly, but the soft smile on his face lessens the impact of his words. “We’ll be there soon and we can look at everything closer.”

“Hmmm,” Sora hums. “Okay, but you have to buy me cake if we can find any.” 

Riku laughs in that way that he has that’s easy, free, and so, so fond, eyes crinkling with unabashed affection. “Deal. Now come on.” Riku punctuates the command with another tug on Sora’s jacket, and Sora starts to obediently lower himself back into the carriage.

But first…

A quick bend at the waist and a light touch of wind magic nets Sora his goal, and Riku’s blushing face when Sora delicately tucks a yellow flower behind his ear is worth the noogie he gets for leaning so far out of the carriage again.

\------------------------------------

Sora bursts from the carriage the second the wheels roll to a stop, only half paying attention to Riku’s call to wait. His senses are flooded with stimulation the moment his feet touch the ground: the music, the chatter, the smells, everything hits him at once. It’s just shy of being overwhelming, but glee overtakes the sensory overload the second Riku’s hand slips into Sora’s own, grounding Sora in the moment just enough that he can really take in everything before him.

Everything, it turns out, is a lot.

Farmers must really know how to party, because everywhere Sora looks he sees broad smiles and hears bright laughter. There’s food of all kinds every he looks, and Sora counts three separate musical ensembles in sight just from where he’s standing. That’s just the outside too, Sora eyes a steady stream of people trickling in and out of the farm’s largest barn, even more music echoing from inside. It’s a lot, but it’s a good lot, and Sora is excited to check it all out.

Beside him, Riku lets out a low whistle. “You weren’t kidding about the celebrations here, Sora.” Riku’s gaze surveys the spread of festivities before them. “What’s this even all for?”

At that moment, Rapunzel hops up to Riku’s side, hands fluttering in front of her chest in excitement. “It’s the Harvest Festival!” she cheers. “It happens every year to celebrate the coming bounty of the harvest, ohhh isn’t it amazing?”

“It’s awesome!” Sora confirms. “I don’t even know where to start, honestly…”

Riku must sense Sora’s indecision, because he gives Sora’s hand a quick squeeze and leans down a bit to bolster Sora with a tiny smile. “Well, I do remember making a deal with someone that involves dessert, so why don’t we get something to eat for now?” His eyes twinkle with something Sora isn’t able to place in the moment, but it’s warm and inviting and-

Oh. Sora loves him.

Sora gladly lets Riku take the lead, waving goodbye to Rapunzel and the others with a promise to meet up later. The festival noise and bustle is still a lot, but Sora finds it easy to get lost in the moment, warm and assured with Riku’s hand in his own. Pretty soon, Sora all but forgets the chaos around him, too caught up in sharing sips of warm apple cider with his boyfriend and challenging each other to the goofy games around the festival. In a way it feels a lot like the lantern festival near the castle. Sora feels floaty and giddy, and he lets himself go in a way that he hasn’t done in forever. There’s no greater good to protect, no Donald or Goofy sending measured looks when Sora gets too caught up in something silly. It’s just Riku, holding Sora’s hand as they sit on a sideways bale of hay and share another cup of cider.

It’s nice. Simple a way Sora can’t remember anything ever being, despite the fact that they’re both worlds away from home and capable of many weird, magical things now. Sora thinks he likes simple, if simple stays like this.

Hands wrapped around the warm cup of cider, Sora watches with piqued interest as many of the people lingering around outside start to move towards the large barn. At the same time, he hears the music from within the barn swell and grow somehow ever livelier, and excitement bubbles in Sora’s chest alongside curiosity. He jumps to his feet to go investigate, hissing in surprise when cider sloshes onto his fingers. Sora shifts the cup in his grasp and quickly shakes his hand to relieve the tingling burn on his skin.

Off to the side Sora hears Riku sigh, and before long the cider is gently taken from his grasp as Riku presses blizzard cooled fingers to the red splotches on Sora’s hand. “You’re such a goof,” Riku mutters fondly. The chill from the spell soothes Sora’s burn and is a welcome relief from the autumn heat, but Sora feels hot all over again as Riku presses a soft kiss to his tender skin. “It should be good now,” Riku mutters as he inspects the burn and swipes a thumb over it. 

Sora’s heart flips a little at the gesture. “Y-yeah,” he sputters. Then, Riku tilts his gaze up to meet Sora’s, smirking as he lays eyes on Sora’s flushed face, and Sora quickly realizes that this is payback for the flower earlier. “Okay!” Sora pouts. “You can be mean to me later, but right now I wanna go check out what’s happening in the barn.”

The tittering laugh that spills from Riku’s lips makes Sora pout harder, but Riku kisses his hand once more before lacing their fingers and leading them towards the barn. Sora cranes his head to catch a glimpse of whatever is happening inside the barn, and he gasps in delight when the blur of motion and growing music register.

“Riku!” he crows. Blue eyes fix on Riku’s face, one of his silver brows arched in confusion. “You have to dance with me!” Riku mimics Sora’s earlier motion to peer into the barn, and his other eyebrow raises to join the first when he sees what Sora is referring to.

Sora gives Riku his best pleading look as he hurries them towards the makeshift dancing stage. Riku follows, of course, and places a hand on his chin while he hums in exaggerated thought. They cross into the barn just as Riku snaps his fingers in decision. “I think I’ll just watch,” he announces.

“Wha- Riku! That’s no fun!”

“Oh no, it’s very fun,” Riku replies as he untangles his fingers from Sora’s and places both hands on Sora’s shoulders. “I get to watch you dancing, which is pretty lucky if you ask me.” Then, with a quick squeeze to Sora’s shoulders, Riku shoves him off towards the other dancers.

“Riku!”

“Go have fun!” Riku calls over the now close and loud music. “I’ll be right here when you’re done.” Sora looks back at him just long enough to catch his smile, and Sora sticks his tongue out at him in response, taking way too much pleasure in Riku’s answering laugh.

Now on his own, Sora takes a brief moment to really look at what kind of dance they’re performing. It looks a lot like the kind of dancing he did over a year ago in the capital square, except now that Sora is paying attention he can see that everyone is pretty evenly paired off, the dancers effortlessly spinning around each other and clapping in time with the beat of the music. It’s quick and fluid, and Sora’s suddenly itching to have a go at it.

As the current song comes to a sudden, bright end, Sora follows the lead of a few other festival goers who step into the throng of dancers, and he quickly finds himself mixed into a group with other broad smiling dancers. A small hand taps Sora’s shoulder and he whirls to see a tall girl grinning at him. “You look a bit lost,” she chirps. “Want some help learning how this goes?”

“Yeah!” Sora replies. “That would be great, thanks!”

The girl grins again and grabs Sora’s hand just as the music jolts into a new song. “Just follow my lead!” she shouts, and then they’re twirling. Whoever this girl is, she clearly knows what she's doing, because she guides Sora into turns and hops and even full spins with practiced, confident ease. For his part, Sora picks up quickly, his battle-honed instincts proving useful in letting his body flow into each motion to create mostly seamless moves.

Dancing has always been an activity Sora’s enjoyed, even if most of what he did in his childhood could hardly be called dancing, but something about this twirly, lively dance has Sora giddy and bouncy in a way other dances haven’t come close to. Energy swirls inside him with each step, making him less tired as he moves instead of more. The other pairs dancing around them only adds to the infectious mood, and Sora is grinning so wide his face hurts.

Distantly he can hear the song they’re dancing to reaching a peak, but it doesn’t really register until his dance partner suddenly swoops further into his space. “Hope you’re as light as you look!” she breathes out in a rush.

“Wait, what do you-”

Slim, firm hands grasp Sora’s waist, and he’s in the air so quickly that he doesn’t even have time to gasp out his surprise before the girl performs a half-spin and plops him back down on the ground. She grabs his hand and guides Sora, still stunned, in one last twirl before holding their hands in the air as the band plays a final note. Sora blinks a little slowly as he processes the lift, because that was _absolutely_ a lift, and looks at his dance partner, giddy giggles bubbling up his throat.

The girl smiles back at him and lowers their hands before releasing Sora’s. “Pretty good for a newbie,” she says as she places her hands on her hips. “I can definitely see why your boyfriend over there couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

Sora blinks and already feels a blush crawling up his face as he looks over to where he had left Riku. Sure enough, Riku’s bright eyes are locked onto Sora with burning intensity, and though he’s leaning against the barn’s wall casually enough, Sora can see something tight in his pose. “Oh,” Sora breathes. “I, uh-”

“Anyway,” the girl cheerfully interrupts with a wave of her hand. “Name’s Carrie. Come find me if you want to dance again!” Carrie grabs Sora’s hand and gives it a single, firm shake before bounding off with a grin and a wave. Sora dumbly waves back, belatedly realizing he never gave her his own name. It doesn’t really matter though, because Sora can feel the weight of Riku’s gaze on him.

The walk back to Riku is quick, and Sora doesn’t miss the way the tension in Riku’s shoulders uncoils the closer Sora gets. Sora considers what to say as he reaches Riku’s side, and settles for a light, “So, what’d ya think?” He reaches for Riku’s hand, gratified when Riku instantly reaches back, and swings their hands between them with a little hum.

“I think you were amazing,” Riku replies. Sora can see the weird, and maybe slightly jealous, fire melting from Riku’s face and posture the more Sora swings their hands, so he gives Riku his brightest grin and swoops up to plant a kiss on his cheek.

“I am amazing,” Sora whispers. “Thank you for noticing my greatness.”

Riku blinks once, and then sputters out a little laugh that warms Sora’s heart in ways he’s never learned how to communicate. “Yeah,” Riku sighs back once his laughter is under control. “You really are.” Before Sora can process the fond, sweet lilt of Riku’s tone, his boyfriend pushes himself off the wall and walks them both towards the barn’s door. “Now, I believe I made a deal about some cake earlier, right?”

Oh. Sora _loves_ him.

Sora skips up and presses himself to Riku’s side, nuzzling into his shoulder as much as he dares in public. “Yeah,” Sora answers. “I think you did."


	4. Halloween Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A monster mash of sorts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *swirls my white grape juice in my glass* y'know how sometimes a chapter just gets away from you and suddenly there's a hint of actual plot and you're 6000 words deep and the next time you come up for air you're just "oh no"
> 
> anyway, this chapter is dedicated to my brother in honor of the time he danced the entirety of thriller (the whole thing not just the really famous part) of his senior prom while his entire class stood in a circle around him and cheered him on. keep on keepin' on you funky nerd.

Being a vampire never gets old.

Well, okay. Being a vampire, like a real deal bloodsucking vampire, probably actually did get old - both literally and figuratively. Lucky for Sora, his version of being a vampire is still really, amazingly cool, and he absolutely gives a little skip of pure delight as he steps off the Gummi ship and the transformation magic swirls into life around him.

Halloween Town was a delight on its own, but the “being a cool vampire” thing definitely gave the place a higher rank of Sora’s list of top ten best worlds. Definitely.

Sora watches with a now fanged smile as the final shimmers of magic waft off into the dark sky. He can easily tell his iconic pumpkin mask is now in position on his face, and a quick glance down sends a thrill of glee through Sora as he realizes the transformation had changed since his last visit. Instead of his normal all black ensemble, Sora’s sporting a white buttoned shirt - complete with actual ruffly sleeves - and some stylish slacks that are tucked into sleek leather boots. Further inspection reveals a weird kind of necktie thing that Sora saw Beast wear once, and - to his complete and utter delight - the swooshiest, most dramatic high-collared black cape Sora has ever seen. The thing is  _ literally _ lined with velvet. Actual, red velvet. Sora looks like he just walked off the set of one of those goofy old vampire films his mom used to watch, and he  _ loves _ it.

With a brisk - and possibly over-dramatic - spin on his heels, Sora whirls around to face the docking ramp of the Gummi ship, a laugh of pure delight filling the air as the cape makes a satisfying swoosh behind him. “Riku, look!” Sora flings his arms out wide to show off his new look. “The transformation is different now!”

“Yup,” Riku deadpans. “Sure is.” Sora frowns at his boyfriend’s enthused tone and tilts his head as he waits for the shimmering magic around Riku to disperse. It takes a minute, because Riku is so stupid and tall and always gets the coolest, most dramatic transformations ever, but when the last sparkle winks out Sora almost splits his face in half with the force of his grin.

See, in Halloween Town Riku is a werewolf.

This information itself isn’t new. Sora can clearly remember the first time he’d visited Halloween Town with Riku years ago, and they’d both stared in abject shock at the furry set of ears and long clawed paws Riku had obtained. It would have been cool and really funny if it hadn’t also sent Riku headfirst into a panic attack. Sora had spent the better part of an hour getting Riku to steadily breathe and talk out why he was so thrown off by the transformation, and the answer was, well… Sora couldn’t really blame him for freaking out when he suddenly couldn’t recognize his own body again.

But that had been years ago, and through multiple missions in Halloween Town, lots of long talks, and Riku’s own bullheaded stubbornness, they’d managed to get Riku to at least tolerate the form, even if he still swears he absolutely hates it. Sora, on the other hand, does not hate it at all. He loves it, and he  _ really _ loves what the new transformation changes have brought to the table. In the past year since they’d both had a mission in Halloween Town, Riku had somehow gotten the audacity to grow another three inches. The conversion formula for human height to werewolf height must be absolutely bonkers, because Sora stands with slack jawed awe as he takes in the sight of Riku now.

“Riku, you’re-”

“Don’t!” Riku holds up a paw, a whole giant watermelon sized paw, and cuts Sora off with a glare. “Don’t say another word.” A pout slides onto Sora’s face, and he opens his mouth to protest because that’s really not very- “No, don’t. No pouting. It won’t work this time.”

With a bit of effort and Sora’s biggest, roundest, saddest eyes, Sora knew that it absolutely would work, but he has more important things to do right now. With a little spring in his step, Sora jogs over to where Riku is still sulking by the ship’s ramp, his cape billowing behind him, and he skids to a stop right in front of Riku, looks up, and-

Oh yeah, Riku is  _ ginormous _ . 

Sora has to crane his neck almost as far back as it can go just to meet Riku’s eyes, and he grins when he looks past Riku’s glare to see those two fuzzy wolf ears laying flat against his head. Sora really wants to touch one, he always did when they came here, but Riku had to be something close to seven feet tall right now and Sora knew better than to push his luck asking him to lean over. Instead, Sora settles for reaching up - up!!! - to place his gloved hand on one of Riku’s paws. He giggles as he traces a finger over one of the gnarly looking black claws there, and feels triumph well in his chest when he hears Riku snort fondly above him. “I still don’t get how you don’t think this is even a little cool,” Sora murmurs absently, running his finger back up the length of the claw.

This time, Riku’s snort was much less fond. “It’s just weird. You try being a massive wolf man and tell me how you feel about it.”

“Uh, gladly?” Sora fires back. “And I would feel awesome about it, thank you very much.” He crosses his arms and straightens his back, fixing Riku with his most knowing stare.

Riku stares right back, expressionless for a moment before his face cracks into a toothy grin, green eyes fond and sparkling. “You’d make a horrible werewolf,” he teases.

Rude? Rude! “I would not!” Sora gasps back. “I would be incredibly fearsome!”

“You’d be like the size of a chihuahua. The only thing you’d scare would be yourself.”

“Riku! You’re such a jerk, I would be cool and you know it!” Sora stamps his foot on the ground with a huff, which is maybe childish of him, but his boyfriend was picking on him and he feels it’s warranted.

The dangerous quirk of Riku’s eyebrow tells Sora that his boyfriend isn’t done picking on him yet. “Big claim for someone who looks like he raided that crappy old party store by the boardwalk.”

“Riku!” Irritation bubbles in Sora’s throat, and he struggles hard to keep it down. Halloween Town is one of his favorite worlds ever, and he will  _ not _ let Riku’s teasing ruin that for him. At least, that’s what he tells himself, but the more he watches as his stupid, big, cool boyfriend honest to god laughs at him the more Sora can’t help but feel more and more frustrated. He huffs, hard, and quickly spins to face away from Riku, hardly even noticing the swish of his cape.

Sora stews quietly, trying to push down the stupid fresh wave of irritation so they can just get over this and actually move on in the world. He hugs his arms tightly to himself and glares at the ground, steadfastly forcing himself to suck it up.

“Hey,” Riku calls softly from behind him.

Sora refuses to turn around.

“Sora,” Riku calls again, somehow even softer. “C’mon, look at me please?”

And Riku may be weak to Sora’s pouting, but Sora is even weaker for that soft, tender tone Riku saves only for him, so with a grumpy sigh Sora peers over his shoulder to see Riku holding his arms out to the side, ears tilted in an unfairly adorable apology.

“C’mere, I’m sorry. I went too far.” Oh, it is not  _ at all _ fair how sweet Riku looks when he’s apologizing! Sora kind of wants to hold his ground and grump about things a bit longer, but Riku is giving him this timid, uncertain smile and Riku  _ always _ gives the best hugs and Riku  _ especially _ gives the best hugs when he is a really tall, fluffy werewolf and Sora really loves snuggles at any point in time and-

Sora crosses the gap between them in three long strides, and when Riku wraps those dumb big arms around him Sora figures the feeling of safety that washes over him is worth accepting Riku’s apology.

Sora allows himself to stay like that for several long minutes, content to simply breathe in the familiar smell of Riku as those long, deadly claws gently scratch against Sora’s scalp. Riku is extra warm in his wolfish form, which is a particular delight for Sora, who can never manage to shake the chill from his skin in Halloween Town. He hums and nuzzles against Riku’s chest until that warmth soaks deep into his bones, lets it sit there and fill his body with light, before finally pulling back with a somewhat sleepy murmur about how they should actually go into town at some point. Riku chuckles and lets Sora go, but not before tracing a claw down to the nape of Sora’s neck, sending a delicious shiver down Sora’s spine.

It takes Sora a moment to convince himself that they really  _ do _ need to go into town.

\-------------------------

The first thing Sora notices is that the Halloween Town square is blessedly devoid of decorations clearly modeled after other holidays. Last time Sora and Riku had visited, Jack had somehow managed to create the most horrific, monstrous looking turkeys Sora had ever seen. Coupled with the fact that Jack leaned a little too hard into “giving thanks,” Sora had been more than relieved to hop back on the Gummi ship at the end of the mission.

Now though, the town square looks shockingly normal, or at least as normal as things got around here. There are a few clumps of spooky townsfolk huddled together and chattering loudly, as well as some others stringing up seasonally appropriate decorations. Sora spots the mayor waddling by in the distance, megaphone amplifying his scattered calls and orders. As far as Sora can tell, there aren’t any Heartless around, and he can’t help but chuckle as he realizes this is the first time he’s visited this world where something hasn’t been going wrong.

Off to Sora’s side, Riku takes in the calm square with a raised eyebrow. He’s hunched over a bit, which Sora can safely say has everything to do with some latent insecurity about his new astronomical height, but most of the grimacing discomfort had smoothed from his expression during their walk into town. “It’s actually quiet?” There’s a note of doubt in Riku’s voice, and Sora understands his disbelief completely.

“I guess so,” Sora mumbles. He does another cursory sweep of the square and still fails to find anything that looks wrong… er than it should look. “I guess we can go find Jack just to be-”

“Ah, Sora and Riku!”

Bony fingers clap down on Sora’s shoulder, and he squeaks out a high pitched yelp before he can stop himself. He quickly yanks himself free of the hold and hops away, whirling around to face- Jack Skellington himself, looking between Sora and Riku with his usual wide grin on his face.

Jack’s grin only widens when he takes in Sora’s panicked expression. “Didn’t mean to startle you there, my good fellows. Although it is what I do best!” He brings one long fingered hand up to his chest, chin tilted up proudly, as he boasts the last bit.

Sora gives himself a moment to process the distinct lack of danger before breathing out a heavy sigh and relaxing his muscles. A quick glance at Riku shows that Sora wasn’t the only one with jumpy reflexes, but his boyfriend seems to be calming down as well.

His boyfriend  _ also _ seems taller than Jack right now, and Sora makes a concerted effort to not get distracted by that alluring tidbit of information at the moment.

At ease once again, Sora chuckles a little bashfully as he half-waves at Jack. “Hey, Jack.” The Pumpkin King perks up at his name, smiling at Sora with what he assumes is warmth. “Good to see you! We were just stopping by to see how Halloween preparations were going.”

Jack’s hands clack as he claps them together in delight. “How thoughtful of you gentlemen! The preparations are going splendidly, although…” Jack trails off, tapping one finger against his chin. “I believe I do have a particular problem that could benefit from your aid, Sora.”

Sora tilts his head and frowns. Everything looks like it’s going well to Sora, and short of smacking Heartless around or chasing rambunctious kids through town, he’s not really sure what help he can be. “Okay?” he drawls, prompting Jack to elaborate.

“Come with me gentlemen,” Jack says with a wave of his hand before striding further into the square. Sora’s miffed to find he still has to jog to keep up, which is only made worse when Riku keeps pace easily. Jack continues his explanation before he gets too much time to pout about it. “For this Halloween, I decided to revisit an old plan you might remember, Sora.”

That… doesn’t sound promising. “And that plan is?”

Jack whirls around and stands ramrod straight, one finger pointed triumphantly in the air. “A dance! Something big, flashy, and delightfully spooky!”

That really doesn’t sound good, considering…

“Didn’t you… try to use Heartless for that last time?” Sora asks hesitantly. 

Riku frowns beside Sora. “Are there still Heartless here?”

A scandalized look crosses Jack’s face. “Of course not! And even if they were I surely wouldn’t try to use them again!” His gaze drifts to Sora with something akin to disappointment. “Really, Sora, you must have more faith in me.”

Sora bites his lip, mindful of the fangs, and catches Riku’s eyes in a sideways glance. Riku dips his chin in a pointed look, and Sora understands that no comment is the best option here.

“Uh, so a dance then?” Sora asks in a clumsy bid to move the conversation forward. “How am I supposed to help with that?”

Delight paints Jack’s face once more and he bends at the waist - with unnerving flexibility - to get right in Sora’s face. “I’m glad you asked! One of our dancers can’t make it to practice today, and I am in desperate need of someone to fill in.” 

Sora frowns. He has an inkling of an idea where this is going.

“And you would be the perfect someone to fill that role, Sora!” Jack sweeps back up to his full height, arms thrown out wide with his usual theatrics.

Yup. That’s exactly where Sora thought this was going. “Uh,” he stutters. “Me?” Without even looking, Sora can already sense the smarmy grin tilting onto Riku’s face.

“Of course you!” Jack crows, once again clapping a hand on Sora’s shoulders. “I haven’t forgotten what a wonderful dancing partner you were in the past, Sora. I can think of no one better to fill in today!”

There’s a snort behind Sora that definitely came from Riku. Heat crawls up to Sora’s face -  _ why can vampires even blush? _ \- as he very pointedly looks past Jack’s shoulder and up to the inky night sky. If Riku has any mercy in his stupid werewolf body he will say nothing and spare Sora a mortifying death.

“You’ve been Jack’s dance partner?”

Well, it was a good run. At least Sora will die conveniently near a graveyard.

Before Sora gets the chance to defend himself, Jack swoops over to Riku with an ecstatic grin. “He has! And oh he was magnificent! I’ve never met anybody who can keep up with the spins I perform, but Sora was-”

“It was for battle purposes!” Sora finally squawks out. He turns and meets Riku’s eyes, sending a silent plea to  _ drop this now please _ .

Riku just grins, a dangerous glint in his eyes, and Sora knows he’s done for. “You fought Heartless by dancing?” His deep voice trembles with poorly constrained mirth, and Sora feels his cheeks somehow grow even warmer.

He clenches his fists and takes a few desperate steps towards Riku. “It wasn’t like  _ dancing _ dancing! It was specifically to take out swarms of Heartless around us in a quick way and- Riku!” Riku’s head is tilted back, a deep belly-laugh tumbling out of him in gasping waves. One large paw is braced against his heaving chest and his stupid wolf ears are fully perked up. Sora is both embarrassed and  _ deeply _ smitten.

Mostly though, he’s flushed and flustered and in need of an escape, so with a pouting huff, Sora reaches out and yanks Jack’s hand towards him. “Fine! Jack I’ll help, just- let’s go right now  _ immediately _ , okay?”

Jack looks at Sora with that empty smile he has when he’s not entirely sure what the problem is, but he follows Sora easily enough. “Well, alright then! Follow me, Sora. There is much work to be done!”

Jack sets off across the square at a quick pace, leaving Sora to scramble to catch up. His face still burns as he walks away from Riku’s fading chuckles, but when he turns around to shoot Riku one last glare he’s met with that easy, fond smile that always knocks him off his feet. Riku holds up a paw and waves, smiling lazily, and Sora is weak and in love and can only smile and wave back.

He’ll be mad later.

\---------------------------------

Halloween Town is _ not _ scary. Riku has made numerous voyages to the Realm of Darkness and has even taken a tour of the Olympus Underworld once or twice. Compared with those literal incarnations of hell, he’s hard pressed to find the general atmosphere of Halloween Town much more than campy, and if he’s ever felt a twinge of discomfort it has been wholly and truly due to the townspeople. The spooky citizens of the world have a particular knack for doing the exact opposite of what Riku predicts,  _ and _ they all seem to think Riku desires their flailing limbs in his personal space at all times. 

He definitely doesn’t, for the record, but he’s long since learned that Halloween Town people cannot be reasoned with. 

Halloween Town doesn’t scare Riku, but it definitely makes him uncomfortable.

Being a truly massive werewolf doesn’t really help either.

In fact, being a hulking beast with extremely bright, reflective silver fur kind of makes everything worse, because Riku doesn’t even have the option of finding a small, out of the way corner to wedge himself into until Sora returns. He’s just… kind of there. In the middle of the town square. Resisting the urge to wring his paws together just for the sake of having something to do.

(He tried his normal trick of clenching his fists here a long time ago. The claws quickly became an issue.)

And okay- Maybe Riku’s a little extra on edge right now, but it’s  _ not _ because Halloween Town scares him. It’s not even really because he’s way too tall and  _ furry _ right now. If Riku’s being really truthful, really in touch with himself and his emotions, he can admit that the source of every bit of tension prickling under his skin has  _ everything _ to do with Jack Skellington abruptly tugging Sora around a building and out of Riku’s sight. Which is maybe incredibly stupid, because Sora went willingly, always eager to help his friends, and just because Riku has no idea where Sora is right now doesn’t mean that he needs to be  _ nervous _ . Sora is still in the same world. Sora is still safe.

Riku is still nervous.

No amount of time will ever really erase the aching loneliness, the desperate need to cling, that came from their last year apart. But like so many other old wounds and nervous tics, Riku readily accepts the reflexive dread that sinks into his stomach when Sora isn’t nearby. Sometimes it even causes a weird thrill of pride to flutter through his heart, because in the end it’s just another type of scar, another reminder that despite everything that stood in his way Riku _did_ manage to find Sora. Riku _did_ bring him home. He’ll take any number of injuries, emotional or otherwise, if it means Sora _stays_ home

Doesn’t really make the moments of separation, however brief, any easier to handle though.

Riku heaves a sigh and resolves to go sit by the Gummi ship just as he hears feather-light footsteps approaching (wolf ears are good for something, at least). He knows who it is before he starts to turn, and when he meets Sally’s eyes the little smile he wears is genuine. “Hi, Sally.”

“Hello, Riku.” Sally looks the same as ever, eyes a little bit sad and lips a little bit tight, but she smiles all the same. “I see Jack found Sora,” she murmurs, somewhat wistfully, while she stares in the direction Jack and Sora had bounded off in.

A little huff, tinged with something embarrassingly like a bark, leaves Riku’s mouth. “Yeah, he did.” Sally hums low off to his side, and Riku is promptly reminded of exactly why he likes her. Sally is soft-spoken, quiet, a little meek, but she’s keenly observant and has good intuition. Most importantly, she holds the same level of respect for personal space as Riku does. She’s managed to politely extract Riku from plenty of Halloween Town chaos in the past with soft requests that Riku help with some task of hers, and Riku has long since figured out that she’s just as eager for quiet company as he is. Today, he figures he might as well beat her to the punch. “Anything I can help with while they’re off prancing around?”

Sally smiles a little broader, and Riku’s never been great at reading her eyes, but he feels confident in his assumption that there’s something almost playful in them now. “There is actually. Jack has given me quite the task for this year’s Halloween, and I would appreciate your help.”

With a grand sweep of his arms, Riku’s bows and gestures into the town square, already more at ease with a familiar face nearby. “Then lead the way.”

Sally doesn’t really laugh, but she brings a hand up to cover her smile as she starts to walk. It’s a victory in Riku’s books.

\----------------------------

Paws are good for one thing and one thing only: making Sora giggle in delight when he tries to thread his fingers between each of Riku’s claws. He’s never quite managed it, what with Riku’s paws being larger than Sora’s entire head, but that’s never deterred him before, and Riku would be lying if he said each attempt wasn’t hopelessly endearing.

Paws are  _ not _ good for literally everything else, and they are  _ especially _ bad for helping quiet, efficient seamstresses with their overwhelming amount of work. Thankfully, Sally doesn’t seem to  _ actually _ need help with the mountain of costumes she has to sew for Jack’s big performance, but Riku had only managed a solid minute of “just keeping her company” before he got restless and said he could at least help her iron all of the fabric she was stitching through. It took a few long, clumsy minutes of fiddling with his grip on the iron before he found something that kind of worked, but in the end he declared victory over the evolutionary mistake of  _ paws _ and settled into something resembling a rhythm. 

Then, for some stretch of time Riku wasn’t really counting, they just kind of… worked. Occasionally, Riku would ask a question about Sally’s project or compliment her on the quality of work (which was extremely high, for the record - Riku’s patched up enough clothing in the field to know true craftsmanship when he sees it), and Sally would answer in her airy, mournful voice, but otherwise they stayed comfortably silent. Still, there was something in the air, something not quite like pressure but still pointedly  _ there _ , that told Riku the silence wouldn’t last much longer.

Sure enough, Sally soon speaks up. “I’m sorry if this is rude, but you seem a bit lost.”

Riku’s ears quirk sideways, confused. “I do?”

“Mmmm,” Sally hums, barely audible over the heavy clack of her sewing machine. “Somewhat. You look uncertain, I suppose.” The  _ clack clack clack _ of the sewing machine pounds away, and Riku waits for Sally to continue. “Forgive me if this is too forward, Riku, but when Sora isn’t near you tend to withdraw into yourself. Almost like you don’t know what to do without him.”

_ I don’t,  _ Riku thinks, but the admission is too vulnerable, no matter how much he likes Sally, so he keeps the thought to himself. “I-” he starts, stops, frowns, and tries again. “It’s not that, really. I’ve managed plenty of things without Sora so-” Riku cuts himself off again with a sigh, dragging the iron across a wrinkled section of fabric. “There’s no rule that says he has to be around me all the time. He’s fine when he’s on his own and so am I.” It’s a half truth, in more ways than one, but Riku hopes Sally will let it go.

He hears her hum again behind him, and when she says nothing else Riku realizes she really  _ will  _ let it go, because Sally respects personal space and personal boundaries. Sally doesn’t pry for the sake of being nosey. Sally only speaks when she has something to say or some way to help, and Riku realizes with a heavy exhale through his nose that she  _ is _ trying to help. She’s giving Riku a space to air the burdens that weigh on his heart, coupled with the silent promise that she won’t judge or repeat them at any point. In the end though, it’s up to Riku to take the offer.

If Sora were here, he’d definitely want Riku to take it. Riku decides to take a chance.

“It’s just that I… get nervous, I guess. Or scared. When I don’t know where he is.” Riku’s voice gets quieter and quieter as he speaks, until he’s not even sure Sally will hear him over the noise in the room. The iron smooths over more wrinkles, leaving pristine fabric in its wake. “And he’s just always been great with new people and situations. He’s taught me a lot, but when he has to leave for whatever reason I guess… I guess that fear makes me fall into old habits.”

Riku lets the words tumble out and tries not to think about a long year where he fell into  _ many _ old habits, running from world to world fueled by nothing but exhaustion and the looming terror that if he ever stopped then Sora would never make it home. Come to think of it, he saw Sally during that year, met her for the first time when he was half feral with grief and pain. Riku briefly wonders what she’s seen in him change since then, what she’s seen stay the same. The iron jerks beneath his hold, and Riku mutters a curse when he sees that he’s bunched up the fabric in his lapse in focus.

The sewing machine whines to a halt behind him as Riku irons out the fresh wrinkles, and when Sally speaks, the rustle of fabric heard under her voice, Riku hears her clearly. “Is that all that’s bothering you?”

A breath. A beat. “No.” Riku admits. “Not really.” The peddle of the sewing machine clicks under Sally’s foot, and soon the steady beat of the plunging needle resumes. “Sometimes I still just worry that one day he’ll outgrow me, which is stupid. I know it is.” There’s a tremor building up in his arms, mild but very present. Riku carefully sets the iron on its end before he burns something with it. “Sora is just so  _ bright _ . He’s always doing bigger and better things, and I thought I made peace with that, with my old jealousy, a long time ago, but… Guess it never really faded.” Steam hisses from the upright iron, and Riku watches it curl into the air and wisp away.

“Sora  _ is _ very bright,” Sally agrees, never slowing in her work. “And I haven’t known him quite so long as you, but he’s always seemed to shine the brightest whenever you are involved.” She speaks plainly, softly, easily. 

Riku’s heart clenches. “You think?”

“I do.” Even without looking, Riku can hear the hint of a smile in her voice. “I don’t know many things for certain, but even someone like me can see there is something unbreakable between the two of you.”

Unbreakable. Hearts in tune, so that they’re free to sing. A melody that never really fades from Riku’s ears, no matter how far apart he and Sora are at any given moment. He thinks of every battle, every smile, every search, and thinks maybe Sally has a point.

“However,” Sally continues, making Riku’s ears perk up on his head. “I’ve learned that sometimes, when you feel uncertain, the best gift you can give to yourself is to give a gift to someone you love. If you’re worried about your place in Sora’s life, it never hurts to remind him of his place in yours.”

The noise of the sewing machine takes over once more as Riku turns Sally’s words over in his head. A gift, to Sora and to himself. A reminder of what they are to each other... Riku picks up the iron again and lets it glide over the fabric as he resumes his work. He already has an idea.

\------------------------------------

By the time Jack stands up in front of his horde of dancing monsters and claps his hands - bones? can bones clap? - to announce one final rehearsal of the big dance, Sora is ready to curl up on the ground and take a long nap. Sora’s never been great at keeping track of time to begin with, and Jack has kept his troupe so busy that Sora hasn’t even had time to fish his Gummiphone out of his elaborate getup to check how long it’s been since he left the town square. Without a solid number to place on the number of hours past, he decides to call it good by saying they’ve been practicing  _ forever _ . Absolutely forever.

And while it’s been a fun forever, Sora is tired, and the persistent cold that always plagues him in his vampiric form is starting to get too hard to ignore. He gives his arm an absent rub, hoping that a little bit of friction will coax his body to heat up, and allows himself a long, mental whine about how much he misses Riku right now. Unlike Sora, Riku is practically a furnace in his world form here, and Sora would really like to take advantage of his boyfriend’s comfortable body heat. Sora would also really like to just get back to Riku in general, even without the promise of snuggles to look forward to.

Hopefully, Riku hasn’t been too bored on his own…

Sora tunes back in to Jack’s speech just in time to hear the skeleton man proclaim that this will  _ truly _ be the last thing at today’s practice, and that afterward everyone is free to go about the rest of their day. A sigh of relief whooshes from Sora at the words.  _ Soon _ , he tells himself.  _ Soon you will be out of this graveyard and getting the best cuddles of your life. _ With that reminder propped at the forefront of his mind, Sora drags himself back into his starting position and waits for the music to start.

The first note hits with a clang, and like a swarm of bizarrely synchronized zombies the dance troupe swings into action. Considering Sora’s last glimpse at Jack’s style of choreography all those years ago, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that the dance looks, sounds, and feels like something out of one of those cheap horror films Sora always tried to rent at the video store as a kid. Yet, Sora had still spent the first hour of practice trying not to laugh at how ridiculous this whole dance is, especially considering that he absolutely looks like a Dracula understudy.

Because, seriously, this is silly even by Sora’s standards. He  _ loves _ it.

Most of the moves consist of short, tight movements. The troupe keeps a stable formation as they all swing their arms - much like actual zombies - and stamp their feet in time. Sora doesn’t struggle much with the dance itself, feeling only slightly awkward by how jerky and stiff so much of it is meant to be when he’s always been so smooth and free flowing in everything he does. Honestly, it’s pretty monotonous to perform, and Sora can only assume that it looks more impressive from an outside perspective.

He still can’t help but smile though, because all the monsters around him seem to be having the time of their afterlives despite any lingering exhaustion. Positive energy has always been infectious, and even in the cold, permanent night of Halloween Town Sora finds a giddy giggle building in his throat. It buoys him through the last bits of the choreography, and when the troupe strikes a pose together at the end Sora is a little breathless but smiling. He’s also  _ extremely _ tired.

Thankfully, a clap and cheer from Jack signals the promised end of rehearsal, and Sora relaxes immediately to stretch and rub his sore muscles. He scans the scattering crowd of monsters with a tiny smile as he waits for Jack to stop chatting with anyone who passes him so Sora can say goodbye, but his eyes catch on a looming, bright tower of silver and Sora feels excitement flood his vampiric veins. Riku’s here!

Which… means Riku just saw at least  _ some _ of that dance. Suddenly, the lack of blood flow in this form works in Sora’s favor, because while a bright flush still blooms on his nose and cheeks, it doesn’t quite manage to stretch to the tips of his ears. It’s not like Sora’s embarrassed by dancing in front of Riku. He’s done that  _ plenty _ of times. It’s more that… it was a really,  _ really _ goofy dance, and pride is a weird, fickle beast at times. Like right now, when Sora’s pride is curling up on the floor and accepting its wretched fate. Or it would be, if Riku wasn’t looking at Sora with a look that Sora knows is all soft adoration, along with something else he can’t quite place from his current distance.

Sora decides he can worry about that last bit later and worry about getting a hug right  _ now _ . It’s the more important concern.

Earlier tiredness forgotten, Sora sprints across the graveyard and barrels straight into Riku, arms wrapping around his torso while Sora relishes the rumble of Riku’s laughter in his chest. Riku stoops down to return the hug, all warm fur and strong heartbeat, and Sora briefly wonders if vampires can purr. He nuzzles against Riku, settling with his cheek smooshed against him, and when Sora opens his eyes he catches sight of someone else beside them.

“Hi, Sally,” Sora mumbles, voice muffled from his current position.

Sally raises a hand in greeting, that kind of half-smile on her face that she always wears when she talks to Sora. “Hello, Sora. Thank you for helping Jack today, he’s been working so hard to make this Halloween special.”

Sora lifts his head off his comfortable Riku pillow but remains latched around his boyfriend’s waist. “Aw, it’s no problem! I’m just glad it wasn’t Heartless this time.” 

Riku huffs another laugh - Sora is delighted by the vibrations it sends through his chest - and ruffles Sora’s hair with a paw. “I thought fighting Heartless and dancing were the same for you here.”

With a groan, Sora buries his face back into Riku’s shirt. “Don’t tease me,” Sora pouts. “I’m tired and can’t fight back.”

Whatever Riku was about to reply with is interrupted by a familiar and boisterous voice. “Sora!” Jack crows. “Excellent job today, good sir! You’re an absolute natural.” Bony fingers wrap around Sora’s shoulder, and with a twinge of disappointment Sora pulls away from Riku to face Jack. The skeleton’s grin is wide and easy, and Sora finds himself giving a tired little grin in response. “You know, if you’d like to stay until Halloween for the performance, we’d be more than happy to have you!”

“Uhhh, thanks! Jack, really,” Sora stumbles. “I’d love to, but me and Riku have important stuff to do back home, so I can’t really-”

“Riku is a capable fellow,” Jack cuts in. “And Halloween is just around the corner! I’m sure he can manage on his own for a bit.”

“Well, yeah probably but I kinda don’t want to-”

“Jack.” Sally’s voice, soft and mellow, stops Jack in his tracks, and he turns to look at the slight woman with her hand on his elbow. “I finished your costume for Halloween, would you mind trying it on for me?”

As far as diversionary tactics go, it’s a pretty weak attempt. But Jack is Jack, and with a swoop back up to his full height he’s already chattering praises and nonsense to Sally as he makes off toward the town square. Sally ambles after him, but not before shooting a look over her shoulder. Sora notices Riku nod out of the corner of his eye and, hmmm. That’s suspicious...

He waits, patiently, until they’ve waved Sally and Jack out of sight before side-eyeing Riku. “And what was with that look from Sally, huh?”

The smirk Riku responds with is maybe just a little  _ extra _ dizzying thanks to Riku’s big werewolf form. Sora tries not to show how it makes his stomach flutter. “It’s a secret,” Riku answers.

Oh, that’s just playing dirty. “Oh, c’mon! That’s not any fun.” Another pout tugs at Sora’s mouth, and he crosses his arms to amplify the effect. Unfortunately, Riku is still playing dirty, and Sora soon has big arms wrapped around his waist and Riku’s nose nuzzling against his cheek. Nope. Nu-uh. “That’s not gonna work,” Sora huffs, but he already feels his will failing him with each swipe of Riku’s nose against his face. “Stoooop,” he whines.

“Nah,” Riku whispers in reply. His warm breath fans against Sora’s cool skin, and the remainder of his resolve crumples into dust.

“Ughhhhh,” Sora drones. “Fine. Keep your secrets, you jerk. See if I care.” The whining would probably be more effective if Sora didn’t immediately turn back around to burrow himself into Riku’s hold, but he figures he can give himself a pass today. Riku rubs a paw across Sora’s back, melting the tension in his muscles and making him feel a lot like goo. “‘M tired,” he mutters. “Carry me back to the ship with your big stupid arms.”

A snort. “Really?”

“Really. I won’t make it back on my own. It’s the only way.”

Riku’s chest heaves with a put-upon sigh, but a moment later Sora is carefully lifted and bundled against Riku’s chest. Everything is warm, warm, warm, and Sora wasn’t kidding about how tired he is. He’s dimly aware of the world shifting around him, the gentle sway of Riku’s footsteps carrying them back to their ship, but all Sora really registers is soft warmth and safety and love. All Riku and goodness.

Sora drifts off to the whistle of wind and the steady rhythm of Riku’s heartbeat, feeling right at home.


	5. The Mysterious Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dance 'til your bad headspace clears up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're almost to the end! it only took..... forever!
> 
> anyway, i made riku be alone and anxious last time so now it's sora's turn. congrats, kiddo.

As a child, Sora firmly and stubbornly insisted that he did  _ not _ mope when something didn’t go his way. Pouting, in his mind, was a valid and useful persuasive tool (and not a sign of moping), and his tendency to stomp around in his worn down sandals was just a way of venting emotion (and not moping). Sora did not mope, because he was a cool kid who had an even cooler best friend, so moping did not happen.

Now though? Sora’s  _ definitely _ moping.

And hey, he thinks he’s allowed to throw a little pity party every now and again. What good is having mountains of magical teenage trauma if Sora can’t use it as an excuse to burrow under all seven of his favorite blankets and play Classic Kingdom games until his phone battery dies? He’d already decided to follow that up with a timely bout of staring at the glow-in-the-dark plastic stars he and Riku stuck to their ceiling until he sighed himself to sleep, which made for a pretty full night. His schedule is completely booked. Try again tomorrow. Please do not disturb.

Unless Riku is the one doing the disturbing. That’s always allowed.

But that won’t happen tonight, because while Sora meticulously drapes himself in blankets to ward off the chill of his and Riku’s shared room in the Tower, Riku is off world hopping for various missions assigned by King Mickey and Yen Sid. Missions that Sora was pointedly  _ not _ assigned. For dumb reasons like “taking rest days” and “not pushing himself too hard,” which would honestly be pretty good reasons if Sora wasn’t keenly aware that he’s the only one consistently put on forced leave. A guy goes missing for one year and comes back a little worse for wear and suddenly everyone cares allllll about  _ resting _ .

With a heavy sigh, Sora grabs a blanket from the third layer of his cocoon and tugs it tighter around his shoulders. The rooms in the Tower aren’t large by any means, but without Riku nearby Sora can’t help but feel lost in a too big space. And maybe a bit uneasy, if he’s being honest. He can’t help but feel so  _ stupid _ about it, because he’s been back for ages. Shibuya is a bad memory (or nightmare, depending on the night) that they all do their best not to talk about. Sora  _ knows _ he shouldn’t need Riku around all the time to hold his hand and promise no scary monsters are going to get him again.

Buuuut on nights that Riku is off-world, far away where only a Gummiphone can reach him, Sora feels a little twitchy. A little off-balance. A little  _ scared _ .

He’s not even scared that Riku won’t make it back this time (well, okay, he’s  _ always  _ a little scared of that, but he knows Riku can handle himself). Sora’s scared that  _ Sora _ won’t still be around when Riku gets home. Scared that he’ll close his eyes and never open them again, or that when he wakes up he’ll be back in crystal surrounded by bright lights. He’s scared to fall asleep, because even now, all this time later, Sora wakes in the morning with Riku’s arms around him and still needs a full minute to see the plastic glow-in-the-dark stars of their bedroom ceiling instead of the twinkling night sky of The Final World.

Sora’s just… scared.

And he can’t tell Riku, because then Riku would drop everything to rush back to the Tower. And Riku  _ can’t _ drop everything, because he’s a Keyblade Master with very important duties that require his presence. He doesn’t have time to come check under their bed for monsters just so Sora can sleep a bit.

So, Sora chooses not to sleep.

Hardly an issue, if you ask him. Sora’s gone way, way,  _ way _ too many nights with little to no sleep to be truly bothered by a mere forty-eight hours awake. Riku wouldn’t approve, and Sora’s careful to not let his fatigue show around Kairi lest she cast him into a magically induced slumber in the middle of a hallway. And then tell Riku. Who would drop everything to rush back to the Tower.

Yeah, Sora’s gonna just pretend everything is totally fine, thanks.

He’s also gonna keep moping about how much he misses his big, strong boyfriend, because that’s infinitely better than  _ actually _ thinking about the fear and twitchiness.

Wow. Sora misses Riku  _ so much _ . He also loves Riku  _ so much _ . Riku’s smile is soft and sweet and, for anyone other than Sora, rare, and Sora’s never taken it for granted just how much he gets to see it. Riku is Sora’s light, a bastion, a balm, an unending well of kindness and pure, unbridled  _ love _ that Sora is sure he will never be able to give enough back to.

He  _ loves _ Riku.

He  _ hates _ The Tower.

And so, he shall mope. All night. And probably into tomorrow.  _ And _ tomorrow night. It’s his whole master plan until Riku gets home.

Or it  _ was _ until Kairi threw his door open with so much force that Sora almost jumped straight out of his blanket cocoon. 

“Up and at ‘em, Mr. Grumpy Gills!” Kairi crows, her hand still on the open door and a  _ way _ too big smile on her face. “Your boyfriend texted me saying he can tell you’re being a sad sack, but your shitty vibes made it all the way to my room without him saying anything about it!” She steps into the room and shoves the door closed behind her, once more very loudly, and marches the scant few feet to Sora’s bed. A blanket is tied in a chunky knot at the base of her throat, billowing dramatically behind her as she pads barefoot across the room.

Sora glowers at her with his most pathetic glare, purposefully tugging his cocoon tighter around him as he ducks deeper into it. “Leave me and my shitty vibes alone then, Kairi,” he grouses.

“Not happening!” Kairi cheers. Her slim hands dig into the outermost layer of Sora’s shroud and  _ yank _ hard enough to pull the top two blankets clean out. A yelp escapes Sora’s lips and he shoots a hand out to attempt a futile grasp for his barriers, but Kairi is too quick and has the blankets tossed across the room in a heartbeat. “I have movies on my laptop, the biggest bean bag chairs the Tower would give me, and two fresh cups of hot cocoa that I charmed to stay warm and I will  _ not _ enjoy them all alone!”

Kairi makes quick work of the remaining blankets around Sora, and while he doesn’t help her with them, he doesn’t fight her either. If asked, he’ll say he just really liked the sound of everwarm hot cocoa, but in truth Sora’s more than a little touched by Kairi’s pushy intentions. And  _ way _ more than a little in love because of the fact that Riku knew just what Sora needed, even worlds away. Sora’s tugged up onto his feet, at which point Kairi produces  _ another _ blanket from… somewhere, and drapes it around Sora’s shoulders to tie the corners in a knot at the hollow of his throat.

“I like the capes, Kairi,” he praises with a smile. He snatches one of the free corners in his hands and swooshes it up to cover his mouth, an impish grin already making its way onto his face. “It’s  _ almost  _ as cool as the one I have in Halloween Town.”

Kairi scoffs and rolls her eyes. “I’m working on a budget here, Sora. Fancy velvet vampire capes were impossible to order on such short notice.”

“Hmmm, not with that attitude.”

“Sora!”

When laughter bubbles up Sora’s throat he’s nearly surprised by how easy it is to start feeling better. Time with friends and some simple, goofy shenanigans have rarely failed to cheer Sora up, but he always seems to forget, whether accidentally or on purpose, that he can ask for it. The urge to put up a front and be the strong, cheerful presence who never feels pain has never fully faded, but Sora is grateful that his friends are around and know to pull him out of it now.

Kairi’s answering laughter is bright, and her eyes crinkle with something Sora went a long time without seeing. Pure mirth, pure joy, pure  _ light _ . They’d talked things out between them a long time ago, after Sora made it home and was more or less settled. Whatever love they’d had for each other remained, but it was never the romantic kind they’d always thought it was. Still, Sora loves her. She’s one of his best friends. She feels the same about him. It’s more than Sora hoped he’d get to have with her again.

Kairi snatches his hand in hers and tugs him out of his bedroom and down the hall to her own. Once she has the door open and Sora shoved inside, he’s pleased to see that all of her promises were true. The blanket fort she’s constructed around her bed is truly massive, the faint twinkle of magic fluttering around the edges telling Sora all he needs to know about how it’s still standing. A laptop is propped up against the pillows flashing the title screen for some animated movie, and, most importantly, on her nightside are two steaming mugs of cocoa, a bag of marshmallows propped against them.

“Wow, Kairi. You really went all out,” he whistles.

Kairi beams with pride. “Well,  _ duh _ . Only the best for one of my bestest friends!”

The knot that had been growing tight and taut in Sora’s chest loosens in an instant, not quite coming undone, but becoming something bearable. Sora feels the need to suck in a huge breath of air, just because he now can without feeling like he’s choking on his own anxious thoughts. The sleepover hasn’t even really started yet, but Sora already feels miles better.

He tugs his blanket cape tight against his sides, not for comfort from his fear like before, but just because his throat stings with overwhelmed tears. “This is really nice. Thank you, Kairi.” His eyes are cast towards the floor, and maybe he’s blinking a little too fast, but the words come out steady enough. That’s a win.

Even without looking though, Sora can tell Kairi’s gaze goes soft and watery as well. Thin but strong arms loop around his shoulders, and even now Sora’s still just that much shorter than Kairi that she can guide his head to her shoulder with careful ease. “You’re welcome, Sora. You know I’m always here for you, yeah?”

Sora does know. Even in the all the time he spent searching for Kairi or Kairi’s heart or Kairi Kairi Kairi, he still knew she was out there. It had never been a lie when Sora said Kairi is one of his best friends. In fact, outside of the Romantic Best Friend Tier that Riku has sole claim to, Sora won’t hesitate to say Kairi is his  _ Bestest Friend _ . And for her he’ll always try to give her the best.

“Yeah,” he croaks, immediately clearing his throat with a sheepish cough. “I know. Same to you.” He pokes one arm out from under his cape and returns the hug, giving her a tight squeeze. Kairi squeezes back a little harder, and Sora tugs with more of his strength, and before he has time to process what’s happening Sora’s laughing with Kairi as they keep trying to give each other an even more crushing hug. Tears are definitely falling down Sora’s face now, but they’re from laughter induced lack of oxygen, his heart thrumming with mirth in his chest. “What are we even doing right now?” he chuckles.

Kairi gives him one more squeeze and a solid thump on the back before pulling away. “Cheering you up, and I’m so damn good at my job that it’s already working.”

Well, Sora can’t argue with that.

“If you were  _ really _ good at your job I would have had that hot cocoa in my hands five minutes ago.”

Or, maybe he can juuuuuuust a little.

Kairi’s mock outrage is undercut by more giggling, and soon she’s got Sora tugged to the bed, surrounded by a new cocoon of pillows with his drink in hand. She gets the movie playing before settling into her own throne of pillows and takes a loud slurp of her cocoa just to make Sora giggle again. It’s warm and pleasant and even in a magical tower worlds away from home, Sora feels like he’s having a Friday night sleepover. Safe and cared for.

But.

As healing as Kairi’s impromptu sleepover is, dread still nests in the back of Sora’s mind. Sleepovers  _ do _ end in sleep, and a blanket cape and mug of hot cocoa aren’t enough to chase away the fear of it. Not even Riku can manage that feat. He makes it better for sure, more bearable, easier to push aside with the knowledge that Riku will be waiting in Sora’s dreams to keep him from falling in too deeply, but he doesn’t erase it.

And in a different room, without the fake, weakly glowing stars on his ceiling, Sora worries that even if (when, Sora, not if.  _ when _ .) he wakes up, he won't be able to orient himself, won't believe he's real and the room is real and that Kairi is real. Won't believe Riku ever found him, because Riku won't be there at all. He wonders what Kairi would do in that situation, if she'd look at him with fear or pity as she called Riku for help.

He tries to remember what she looked like when it happened before. All he remembers is the green of Riku's eyes, striking even through the screen of Kairi's phone.

Sora wonders if Kairi's disappointed in him, in the end.

"Sora, where in the worlds did you go?"

Sora jumps at the sound of Kairi's soft voice and blinks with rapid motions to chase the haze of thoughts from his mind. When his focus returns, he sees the title screen of the movie they were watching dancing brightly before him, and with a subtle sinking feeling he realizes he missed most of it. "I-" he starts, afraid to meet Kairi's eyes. "I'm sorry, Kairi, I just-"

Before Sora can finish, Kairi's looped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him into a side hug, firm enough to be comforting but notably loose, as if Kairi was making it easy for Sora to pull away if he wants to. He very much does not want to. "It's okay, you don't have to say anything," Kairi soothes. "Just didn't want you to get  _ too _ lost in that big head of yours."

"Riku's the one with the big head," Sora mutters on reflex, but once again it's enough to derail his spiraling thoughts.

Kairi's quick to take the controls. "I'll tell him you said that and let you deal with the consequences later. For now, I'm  _ supposed _ to be having a sleepover with my best friend." Sora opens his mouth to apologize. "No sorries!" Kairi interrupts. "I just want you to relax like you used to, you goof."

Relaxing like Sora  _ used _ to became practically impossible after two combined years of stasis, leaving Sora chronically restless and jittery. Still, Kairi has a point with the fact that Sora could stand to at least lose some of the tension he wears in his shoulders these days. "I'll give it my best shot," he replies with a weak smile.

"Bet it's easier than you think," Kairi chirps as she leans forward to select another movie. "Now c'mon, we're watching a musical and I will  _ not _ sing alone." 

She clicks  _ play  _ on a new movie and for a while the two lapse into silence as the opening plays. Sora tries not to get lost in his head again, a mental tug-of-war with himself grappling to pay attention and  _ relax _ . It’s a game he’s losing, his eyes tracking the movement of the animated characters on screen but not really  _ seeing _ them. Sora tries to breathe in slowly, deeply, subtly. Tries to regain focus without alerting Kairi, but he can’t get enough air to settle his thoughts, can’t win the tug-of-war.

It’s when the first song starts, a song Sora knows and misses the opening notes to, that Kairi starts to speak softly again. “We all see how much progress you’ve made, did you know?”

Sora starts again, blinking rapidly at the intrusion  _ and _ the words. “Wha-”

“You’ve more than recovered from everything, and it’s pretty bogus that they keep grounding you for things that are in the past now.”

_ It’s bullshit _ , Sora wants to say. “I get why they do it though…” is what he says instead.

Kairi half shrugs. “I do too. They’re scared. We’re  _ all _ scared of the thought of losing you again, Riku more than anyone.” Sora winces at the reminder of how his previous disappearance had hurt Riku. “We’ve actually talked about that,” Kairi continues. “And we both agree that making you sit around doesn’t make anything safer or better.”

“Then why do they-”

“But I think it’s good that you and Riku are apart sometimes,” she finishes.

What.

“What?” Sora balks. “We’ve been apart for  _ so long _ , Kairi. Why would say we need to-”

The bangles on Kairi’s wrist jingle as she holds a firm hand up in front of Sora. “What you and Riku have is so strong and good, and you both  _ definitely _ need it. Everyone can see how much happier you both are around each other. But-” she hesitates, bites her lip as her fingers curl in a little bit. “But, I think you’ve both convinced yourselves that you can’t  _ really _ make it without each other.”

_ That’s because I don’t think I can _ , Sora thinks. Even now, on a single night without Riku, Sora feels lost, feels like he’s wandering empty lamp lit streets again with nowhere to turn. Riku is his anchor and his compass, holding his steady and guiding him all at once. Sora feels dizzy without Riku near, but he doesn’t tell Kairi.

If Kairi sees the doubt on Sora’s face, she doesn’t mention it. “It’s normal that you both have worries that can only be eased by each other, but I just don’t want either of you to lose sight of how strong you both are on your own, too.” Her slim hand comes to rest on Sora’s, gently loosening the grip he didn’t even realize he had on his blanket. “Have faith in each other, but have faith in yourself too, y’know?”

Sora mulls over her words for a moment. She’s right. He knows Kairi’s right, but  _ doesn’t _ know how to have that faith in himself that she mentioned. But… he  _ should _ know, shouldn’t he? He should be better, shouldn’t be messing up so much and doubting himself so much. Had Riku noticed all of this? Was he disappointed in Sora? Sora feels his chest constrict, his heartbeat increasing in tempo at the thought that-

“Nope!” Kairi chirps with a heavy  _ pat _ on Sora’s shoulder. “None of that! Not tonight!” Sora blinks away the haze that had settled over his vision just in time to see Kairi wave her hand over her phone, the telltale twinkle of magic falling from her fingertips, just before some upbeat, poppy music resonates through the room.

“What are you doing?”

“ _ We’re _ having a dance party!”

Sora blinks again. “There’s… only two of us here, Kairi?”

“That’s all we need! C’mon!” Kairi grips both of Sora’s hands and hops off the bed, dragging him with her. He stumbles a bit, only saved from falling over when Kairi starts to sway in place with Sora’s hands still in hers. 

“Kairi, I dunno if I’m much of a dancer-”

A goofy laugh spills from Kairi’s lips. “Uh-uh, Riku’s told me _ all _ about your latest performances,  _ and _ I remember plenty of dance-offs at slumber parties in the past. Don’t even try it.”

Well, she’s got him there, but Sora’s heart isn’t really in it. Kairi’s doing her best, but his cloudy thoughts won’t fully leave him, and he finds himself wondering if he should have just stayed in his room to keep his misery to himself.

But then Kairi yanks his hand up and pulls him into a clumsy spin that startles a laugh from him, and when he finally rights himself Sora finds Kairi smiling and laughing harder. “C’mon Fancy Feet! Dance with me!”

The music in the room switches to something even faster, even livelier as Kairi tries to tug Sora into motion. It’s… infectious, really, once Sora allows himself to really hear the music and Kairi’s delighted giggles. Something warm and  _ safe _ blooms in his heart, something that’s enough to chase the shroud of doubt away for the moment, and with his own chuckle of disbelief, Sora swings into motion.

They both dance, uncoordinated and graceless and clumsy, with earnest joy, changing up the improvised choreography with each song, singing along to the tunes they know, and Sora feels the constricted pathways in his chest ease up. His soul feels a little lighter, his heart a little brighter, warmed by goofy pop music and the tireless energy of his best friend.

Sora still misses Riku and still wishes he were here, but maybe Kairi was right. Maybe Sora should have faith in himself that, even when apart from Riku, he can still be okay. He can still be  _ Sora _ .

Because he’s still Sora when he and Kairi both collapse in the blanket fort hours later, tired from too many movies and too much dancing and  _ far _ more than the recommended daily dose of hot chocolate. Sora’s face hurts from smiling, but he can’t stop more bleary, tired giggles from spilling out as he and Kairi just chat about everything and nothing as their eyes droop with sleep.

“Hey, Kairi?” Sora asks, struggling to stay awake.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

A clumsy hand pats Sora’s hair. “Anytime, you mopey bum,” she slurs right before her breathing goes soft and slow.

Sora knows he’ll be following suit soon, but there’s one last thing he needs to do. With leaden fingers, he manages to pull his phone out to wish Riku a good night. There’s already a message waiting for him though, and Sora can’t help but smile when he sees who it’s from.

_ Riku: _

_ I’m glad you and Kairi had a good time. I love you, Sora. Sleep well. <3 _

Attached to the message is a photo of Sora himself, blanket cape and all, grinning wide with flushed cheeks as he sings into a hairbrush. Sora giggles despite the bashful embarrassment he feels. He didn’t realize Kairi had snuck a photo of him at all, but Riku seemed to have enjoyed it, so… worth it.

_ Sora: _

_love u 2_ _riku_

And then, sleep-heavy and happy, Sora allows his eyes to finally drift closed. He falls asleep with a smile on his face, and when he wakes up he doesn’t feel lost.


	6. The Symphony of Sorcery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fitting end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaand this is the last chapter! thanks so much to everyone who has been reading this unexpectedly long project of mine. it's been a joy to write, and it's honestly kind of weird (but nice) to see it over!
> 
> love and best wishes!

“When did you have time to plan all of this?”

Riku shrugs, a small smirk playing at his lips. “I have my ways,” he answers cryptically. It would drive Sora crazy if he wasn’t busy being positively  _ smitten _ with the light, romantic picnic his boyfriend had prepared for him. Sora had made it through the last couple days of Riku’s absence fairly well (he’d even slept an almost normal amount too), and when Riku was due to return to the Tower Sora had been ready and waiting for him.

The plan, in Sora’s mind, had been to latch himself to Riku’s torso and not let go until he got  _ at least _ five hours of prime cuddle time. The  _ actual _ plan had involved Riku gathering Sora into his arms on the lawn of the Tower, kissing him positively  _ silly _ and breathless, and then pushing him onto the Gummi ship before taking off for a “surprise.” Meaning a date. In Corona. With a picnic packed with all of Sora’s favorite foods from The Bistro.

It was all, in a word,  _ nice _ .

It still is nice as Sora grabs the remains of his sandwich and snuggles up to Riku’s side where he’s leaning against the trunk of a large oak tree. Sora wanted to set up in a sunny clearing, but Riku had insisted on cool shade. Sora mostly chalks it up to Riku wanting to spare his hilariously pale skin from a nasty sunburn, but Riku was still  _ weirdly _ picky about the whole thing. Besides, Riku’s in the sun all the time for missions. Sora was sure he could handle a single picnic.

But, whatever. It’s still a lovely date even in the spot Riku picked, and if the breeze makes Sora a little chilly in the shadow of the tree then it’s just an excuse to tuck himself closer against Riku’s side. A win-win in Sora’s books.

“Can’t believe you made time in your busy schedule just to plan this for lil’ ol’ me,” Sora singsongs between bites of food. “You’re gonna make a boy feel special, Riku.”

Riku laughs and drapes an arm around Sora’s shoulders. “Good,” he hums. “You  _ are  _ special and it’s about time you noticed it.”

Sora can  _ feel _ the light blush that crawls up his face, and he jabs an elbow into Riku’s stomach in response. “Shut up,” he mutters before shoving the rest of the sandwich into his mouth. Riku’s rumbling laugh only warms his face more, so Sora decides he deserves to pout a little. It only lasts long enough for Riku to tilt Sora’s head to side and kiss the furrow out of his eyebrows. Very unfair.

Sora snuggles closer into Riku’s side with a happy sigh, eyes drifting closed and the heat from Riku’s body offsets the chill from the breeze. Full from lunch and drowsy with contentment, Sora’s sure he could fall asleep right here if Riku would nap with him. It sounds like a perfect end to their picnic, especially after the past few nights of sleeping alone.

Weirdly enough, Riku seems to be on the same page.

He sets the basket off to the side and tugs Sora tighter against him, back resting against the large trunk of the tree. Even better, he reaches over and tugs a blanket out of a lower compartment of the picnic basket, fluffing it out before draping it over the two of them.

“Are you  _ trying _ to make me fall asleep?” Sora yawns. The blanket is one of Sora’s favorites, he realizes, meaning Riku must have pilfered it from their room at The Tower sometime before he left for his last mission. Thinking back, Sora  _ does _ recall the blanket being absent from his misery cocoon…

Riku chuckles again, rubbing a hand up and down Sora’s arms. “Yes, I am.” A quick kiss is pressed into Sora’s hair. “Is it working?”

“Hmm,” Sora hums. “You’re up to something.” But whatever that  _ something _ is, Sora’s not sure he’ll stay awake long enough to sniff it out. His eyes are already drooping despite his best efforts to keep them open, not helped by the comforting motion of Riku’s hand on his arm. “You’re never this snuggly in public…”

“We’re in the middle of a forest. It’s hardly public.”

“Shut up,” Sora mumbles. “You know what I mean.”

Another kiss on his head. “I do, now go to sleep, Sora.”

Sora’s eyes lose the battle and, warm and snuggled up against his boyfriend, Sora feels the lull of sleep drift over him. The last thing he hears before dropping into his dreams is a quiet, whispered “I love you.”

\-------------------------------

Sora dreams of colors and distant music for a while, which doesn’t alarm him. Lately, Sora’s dreams have been largely formless, ambiguous things of nothing and everything that refuse to take shape until Riku’s there to guide them. Perhaps it’s a bit strange, really, that Sora can’t - or won’t - truly  _ dream _ until Riku is asleep to dream with him, but it’s leagues better than the old nightmares that used to plague him. Besides, the hazy nothingness is soothing in its own way, a little stretch of time for Sora to just  _ exist _ .

It lasts both forever and no time at all, and Sora can always tell when Riku starts to pull the dreams together by the way he feels like he’s falling. A careful, controlled dive guided by unseen hands into whatever realm Riku has constructed for them. Color and music impossibly lose more shape in the dive, blending and warping together, until all at once they begin to take real form, true hue. Sora feels the fall gently slow, feels something solid beneath his feet, and in the next blink the world around him comes together.

And  _ oh. _

Glowing blossoms bathed in ethereal moonlight tower above him, the ground painted a dusky blue and the sky a deep navy. Flora grows like a forest around him, flowers and ferns and more lining the grassy clearing Sora is standing in. It’s beautiful and glorious, and Sora openly gawks at the beauty The Symphony of Sorcery never fails to hold. He’s only seen this part of the world once before, and it's still as awe inspiring as before.

When he sees Riku though, he kind of wants to bawl.

Because Riku’s hair  _ shines _ in the light of the moon, glinting sweetly as he leans against the stalk of one of the flowers encasing the clearing. There’s a soft, smitten smile on his face as he watches Sora take in the world around them, arms and legs lazily crossed. And-  _ oh wow okay _ . The deep teal waistcoat trimmed in silver filigree hugs Riku’s frame  _ perfectly _ , and the dark gray slacks complete the image of one very handsome looking prince. A quick glance down reveals to Sora that he’s in matching garb, but made more of deep red and gold.

The grin that takes over his face when Sora meets his eyes doesn’t help.

“I wanted to surprise you.” Riku speaks in a soft voice, matching the quiet hush around them.

Sora’s voice is a little choked when he answers. “You did.” He’s not sure what they’re doing here, in this sacred space, but the thought of their picnic date ending in this makes Sora  _ really _ want to cry. It’s sweet and soft and touching, and there’s music sailing in the air he soon realizes. Something that warms him from toe to tip, makes him feel safe and  _ oh gods  _ it’s their  _ heartsong _ .

Forget  _ wanting _ to cry. Sora’s  _ actually _ crying now.

He’s halfway through a hiccup-sob when Riku crosses the clearing in long strides and cups Sora’s face with warm palms. “Hey, don’t cry,” he coos while kissing away stray tears on Sora’s cheeks. “That wasn’t part of the plan.”

“Shut up,” Sora hiccups. He brings his hands up to rest on top of Riku’s, leaning into the touch gratefully. “‘M just happy, you sap.”

A chuckle. “I’m not the one crying right now.”

“I said shut up! I’m having a moment.”

Riku chuckles again and pecks a kiss against the corner of Sora’s mouth, which makes Sora hum a little shakily through his tears. He’s still crying, which is a little embarrassing to him, but Riku’s warm and here and Sora knows he’s safe with him. One of Riku’s hands pulls away from Sora’s face, only to come to a rest at the small of his back, a long arm wrapped securely around Sora’s waist.

The hand still on Sora’s cheek continues to thumb away tears as Riku smiles softly. “You know, I had a talk with Sally a while ago, and she gave me some good advice.”

Sora nuzzles his face into Riku’s palm. “She’s pretty good at that.”

Riku hums in return. “She is. I told her sometimes I worry, you know? You’re so wonderful, Sora, and I just get scared that you’re  _ too _ good for me to have.”   


“Riku, that’s not-”

The thumb swiping away still falling tears moves to press lightly against Sora’s lips. “I know it’s not true,” Riku hushes. “I know you love me, maybe even  _ almost _ as much as I love you.”

“Hey!”

Riku ignores Sora’s protest and continues on. “ _ Anyway _ , I know I can get… caught up in my head a lot, and I know I worry a lot about things I don’t need to worry about. Sally kind of got me back on track with realizing that, and I also realized I wanted to take a minute to slow down and just  _ be _ with you. Show you how much you mean to me.” The arm around Sora’s waist tugs him flush against Riku’s chest as Riku kisses Sora’s forehead gently.

Fresh tears sting at Sora’s eyes now though, because he already  _ knew _ how much he meant to Riku. Really, he did, but hearing it here, in this dreamworld all their own, does something funny to his heart, makes it go impossibly softer around the edges. He sniffles a little pathetically as he shifts to grasp at the back of Riku’s waistcoat and lean into his shoulder to just cry.

Riku’s hand starts to stroke through Sora’s hand as he whispers soothing sweet little nothings into Sora’s ear, and it doesn’t do much to make the crying stop but it does  _ everything _ to send Sora’s heart soaring. For his part, Sora just clings, hiccuping wetly into Riku’s shirt as all the love and happiness and pure  _ joy _ he feels comes crashing through him, because Riku is gently swaying them side to side now, still petting Sora’s hair and Sora? Sora is  _ loved _ . He thinks he’s allowed to happy cry over that.

Eventually though, the tears start to slow, and Sora really wants to see Riku’s face again. He pulls back with a sniffle to see Riku looking at him all soft and fond, and when Sora laughs it’s a little wet. The hand in Sora’s hair trails down to gently pick up one of his hands, and the back and forth Riku had set turns into something a little more, some kind of  _ one _ -two-three,  _ one _ -two-three pattern that Sora can easily follow with Riku leading.

And Sora follows, like he’s followed Riku across the stars, and like Riku’s followed him across realities, and at some point Sora notices, with fresh tears in his eyes, that their heartsong had bloomed into a  _ waltz _ . Riku sees the moment the realization hits and leans down to kiss Sora’s forehead with a smile.

“Figured it was time I finally danced with you.”

In the moonlit glow, surrounded by music and love, Sora thinks that sounds about right.

**Author's Note:**

> feel free to come yell with me on twitter @managummi


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